Under one person: I, Zhang Zhiwei, the arrogant Zhang.

As Uncle-Master Zhang Yi killed more and more Japanese pirates over there, the great calamity hidden deep within the inner realm became increasingly restless and ready to strike.

Zhang Zhiwei instantly realized that the calamities and variables within this inner realm were directly related to the cause and effect in the external world.

He recalled Izanami's earlier conversation with him about the weight of fate.

All living beings have a destiny; some people's destinies are as heavy as Mount Tai, while others' are as light as a feather. But even a feather has weight. Dripping water can wear away stone; if there are enough feathers, they can also move a mountain.

Of course, this is just a metaphor, and it cannot actually be calculated like this, because it is not a simple one plus one relationship. The cause and effect and fate involved are too complicated.

For example, if you kill one person, and that person is destined to affect the lives of hundreds of other people, that is to say, although you only directly changed the fate of one person, you indirectly changed the fate of hundreds or thousands of people.

In this chaotic era, human life is as cheap as grass. But even if it is cheap, it cannot be as light as a feather.

Zhang Zhiwei did not kill ordinary people; most of his victims were vicious Japanese pirate soldiers or inhuman Japanese pirate soldiers.

It is well known that these Japanese pirate soldiers committed a great massacre in the Shenzhou Society.

In other words, although Zhang Zhiwei only killed a few thousand people after entering the scene, he actually indirectly changed the fate of tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of people!

With the combined weight of so many people's fates, even Zhang Zhiwei's own fate, which was as heavy as Mount Tai, was still somewhat overwhelming.

That is why, when the calamity occurred earlier, those karmic causes manifested as "evil spirits" that came knocking.

And now, Zhang Yi is using his power to continue the slaughter. Because he is using his power, a large part of the consequences will inevitably fall upon Zhang Zhiwei.

If the weight of fate is a scale, it was already slightly tilted, but he just pulled the tilted part back.

But as Zhang Yi's killings continued, the scales that had just been balanced were slowly tipping towards the abyss of collapse.

In this situation, the wisest course of action is to immediately withdraw the power bestowed upon Uncle-Master Zhang Yi, sever all causal ties with the outside world, and then concentrate on overcoming the final calamity. Furthermore, one should end all activities in Shanghai, return to Longhu Mountain for quiet cultivation, consolidate one's own cultivation, and explore and pursue the ultimate goal of cultivation.

This is the most rational, safest, and most appropriate action for a spiritual practitioner.

If he does this, no one can say a bad word about him.

But... is it really going to be like this?
Zhang Zhiwei questioned himself in his heart.

He looked up at the windstorm above, which was gradually losing momentum, and then at the great calamity that was slowly descending deep within the inner landscape.

His level of insight was extremely high. Even the "National Preceptor" could not see the great calamity hovering overhead like the Sword of Damocles, but he could.

In the deepest part of the inner landscape, nine cracks appeared in the void.

The cracks were slowly widening, and what emerged from them was not deep darkness, but a blazing fire that was so intense it was despairing.

The flames surged and took shape, transforming into nine fireballs as blazing as the sun!

They radiated an unbearable light, exuding a terrifying pressure, and were slowly falling.

Zhang Zhiwei was no stranger to this kind of fireball. He had encountered it many times before in interior scenes.

But those fireballs weren't this big, nor were they this intense, let alone... there are nine of them now!

The nine fireballs formed a mysterious and terrifying array in the air and began to accelerate their descent. Zhang Zhiwei could sense that these nine suns seemed both very close and very far away from him.

The reason he was far away was because he knew in his heart that as long as he withdrew now and severed the cause and effect, the downward momentum of these nine fireballs might be immediately relieved, or even never actually arrive.

The immediate reason is that if he continues, these suns will suddenly descend and crash directly onto his head!
Is it about going with the flow and protecting oneself wisely?
Or should we face the difficulties head-on and defy fate?

Zhang Zhiwei murmured to himself, falling into a brief moment of contemplation.

Outside, Uncle-Master Zhang Yi was completely unaware of the perilous situation Zhang Zhiwei was facing. He was standing on the altar, brandishing his magic sword, chasing after the Grand Master of the Shinto Sect.

After defeating Tsukuyomi, the thirty-six thunder generals who were once so imposing had returned to their lineage due to the exhaustion of their divine power. Now, Zhang Yi was using the power that Zhang Zhiwei had bestowed.

"Hahaha! You old Japanese pirate! You old devil! You've finally met your match!"

Zhang Yi cursed under his breath, waved his command flag, and chanted incantations more rapidly.

"Aren't you some arrogant, high-ranking priest? Aren't you the head of the Shinto cult? Come on! Your grandpa Zhang Yi is right here! If you've got guts, don't run away! Let's have a go!"

Driven by the incantation, the sky and earth changed color, and continuous thunderstorms erupted from the clouds, unleashing countless bolts of lightning that struck the fleeing Grand Master and his party, blasting rocks into the air and sending waves of earth churning.

The chief priest, along with Prince Fushimi, Army General Matsui, and a group of surviving priests, was fleeing in disarray in the direction the main force was retreating. They were seeking refuge in a place where a powerful protective barrier had been erected beforehand.

At this time, the Chinese army had begun a strategic retreat in order to stretch the battle lines and drag the Japanese pirates into a protracted war of attrition. Meanwhile, the Japanese pirate army was launching a full-scale attack. The battle lines of both sides were stretching rapidly, and Japanese pirates were everywhere.

So during their escape, Zhang Yi used the power transferred by Zhang Zhiwei to kill with great gusto, unleashing bolts of lightning that killed and wounded a large number of ordinary Japanese pirate soldiers.

This excited Zhang Yi greatly. He had never fought such a lucrative battle in his entire life!
"Hahaha! You damned Japanese pirates! Prepare to die!"

He waved the command flag again, and bolts of lightning, like spears falling from the sky, fiercely pierced towards the Grand Master and his entourage.

Although the lineage was severely damaged, the Grand Palace Master still possessed a solid foundation of cultivation. Even though the Divine Descent Technique was no longer effective, he still had ways to protect himself.

He led his men, dodging left and right, narrowly avoiding one deadly lightning bolt after another. In the process, many unfortunate Japanese soldiers were caught in the blast and were directly pulverized by the lightning.

Seeing that the Grand Master was as slippery as an eel and he couldn't hit him no matter what he did, Zhang Yi got angry.

"I refuse to believe I can't kill you!"

He chanted an incantation, increasing the output power.

A continuous rumble of thunder followed, and a barrage of lightning struck down like raindrops.

Although the Grand Master possessed profound cultivation, most of his abilities lay in commanding spirits and ghosts, making his physical combat strength relatively weak. Now, with his magical veins damaged, his divine descent techniques were less effective, leaving him with little power to resist this lightning. Moreover, at this critical juncture, even if he had the strength to resist, he dared not do so.

Because he didn't know when that terrifying little celestial master would break out of the lineage.

If he came out, they would be doomed, so they could only flee desperately like stray dogs.

But at that moment, the ground beneath their feet suddenly trembled violently, from which countless leaping blue lightning bolts emerged, rapidly converging upwards and instantly transforming into a massive lightning cage, trapping the unsuspecting victims within!

"Boom!"

"Boom!"

A deafening thud followed, and then a barrage of lightning struck down from the sky, threatening to obliterate them completely!

This is truly a net that cannot be escaped!
At the critical moment, suddenly, a strange red light forcibly cut open the lightning cage, tearing a hole in it.

A gust of wind swept up the Grand Master and the others, lifting them out of the gap and narrowly escaping death!

"Phew...that was close!"

The Grand Master stood in the wind, looking back at the lightning cage closing in. The lightning in the sky crashed down, blasting the ground into a deep crater. If they had been a step later, they would have all been reduced to ashes.

But before he could even feel relieved, he discovered that although he had escaped, the thunder behind him was still roaring.

Zhang Yi's anger filled the thunder.

Unable to capture the Shinto priest, Zhang Yi was so angry that he vented his rage on the ordinary Japanese pirate soldiers.

"Run? They can run, but let's see where they run to!"

Zhang Yi felt that the Grand Palace Attendant was too slippery. Instead of going through the trouble of chasing after that old mudskipper, it would be more worthwhile to just blast these ordinary soldiers to death.

In any case, none of these Japanese soldiers were innocent; they all deserved to die!
Otherwise, if all the borrowed power is used up and the Grand Master is still not killed, wouldn't all that power be wasted?

He, being an old hand at this business, could still figure things out.

While Zhang Yi was using Zhang Zhiwei's power to run rampant in the mortal realm, the first few of the nine sun-like fireballs deep within the inner realm began to slowly descend, constantly approaching Zhang Zhiwei's head.

At this moment, the "Imperial Advisor," who was focused on dealing with the typhoon, also vaguely sensed that something was wrong.

He was a demon in his heart, and he was very sensitive to everything in his inner world. He felt a terrifying sense of impending doom enveloping his entire body.

"Big-faced thief! What kind of tribulation are you going through?! Why are they coming one after another?!"

The "Grand Master" brandished his stick, smashing through the storm, and roared, "What the hell are you doing?! What did you send out while I was dealing with the storm?!"

When Zhang Zhiwei was transmitting power to his Uncle Zhang Yi, the Imperial Preceptor had a vague feeling about it, but he was busy fighting the wind disaster at the time and didn't have time to ask.

Zhang Zhiwei did not answer his question, but instead asked in return:
"Monkey, if you really want to do something, but external rules and reasons prevent you from doing it, or even if doing it would come at a great cost, what would you choose?"

The "Imperial Advisor" wasn't stupid; he immediately understood Zhang Zhiwei's implied meaning. He countered with a question:
"Can this objective rule you're talking about be defied?"

“I can give it a try,” Zhang Zhiwei said.

Upon hearing this, the "Imperial Advisor" immediately understood. Given the strength and arrogance of the Big-Faced Thief, he only said he could try? Wasn't that practically the same as being dead?
He quickly said, "Big-faced thief, don't do anything foolish! Do you remember the story our master told us about the Heavenly Dao?"

He and Zhang Zhiwei were originally one entity, so there's nothing wrong with him calling Zhang Jingqing his master.

“My master has said so many things, how can I remember them all?” Zhang Zhiwei said.

The "National Preceptor" continued, "He said that when you were young, there was a tree by the wall of the Celestial Master's Mansion. The tree was originally very small, and you wanted to cut it down when you were sweeping the floor because you thought that if it grew bigger, its roots would damage the ground. But your master stopped you and ultimately left the tree.

"A few years later, it really grew very tall, just as you predicted, it not only damaged the ground but also destroyed the walls. Then your master told you to cut that tree down."

"To that tree, you are its destiny! If that tree could comprehend the way of heaven, restrain its desire to grow, and not extend its roots toward the wall, then it would not perish!"

"With your cultivation level, you must have already reached the realm of knowing one's destiny and understanding the Way of Heaven. You should know that destiny cannot be defied. You have done enough and saved many people! Stop now! Don't end up like that tree, uprooted!"

The "Imperial Advisor" was a clever man. Instead of directly advising Zhang Zhiwei to save his life, he borrowed Zhang Jingqing's words from years ago, trying to use the principles of "Heaven's Way" to make Zhang Zhiwei understand the current situation and back down.

Zhang Zhiwei recalled this incident; the image of his master speaking those words was still vivid in his mind.

But there are some things he disagrees with.

Zhang Zhiwei raised his head, and a profound light, like never before seen, shone in his double pupils.

"Grand Preceptor, what you say makes sense, but it's not entirely correct. Do you know which extraordinary individuals in the history of our Divine Land were considered the most powerful?"

Before the "national advisor" could respond, Zhang Zhiwei began to speak on his own:

"Zhang Jiao, the leader of the Taiping Cult, is one. Zhuge Liang, the Marquis of Wu, is another."

"With their level of understanding, it's impossible for them not to see through the so-called 'Way of Heaven' and the general trend. If we're talking about seeking good fortune and avoiding misfortune, and protecting oneself wisely, Zhang Jiao should have stayed in that chaotic world, guarding his peaceful Taoist temple, and becoming a carefree immortal; Zhuge Liang should have stayed in Longzhong, farming his land and reading his books."

"With their unparalleled cultivation, it might not be difficult for them to advance further and ascend to immortality. Zhang Jiao's abilities might not even be much less than those of our ancestor."

"But! They abandoned everything that a cultivator should uphold! Knowing it was impossible, they still did it, even going against the tide, to throw themselves into this chaotic world to save the people who were known to be beyond redemption. For the sake of the 'world' in their hearts, they were willing to fight against the laws of nature, against the tide, and against fate!"

"This is the true meaning of cultivation. If we only seek good fortune and avoid misfortune, and follow the trend blindly, bound by this so-called natural law... then what's the point of cultivation?!"

The "Imperial Advisor" was taken aback, and after a moment of stunned silence, he looked at Zhang Zhiwei: "Then what do you want to do?" (End of Chapter)